


Hail the Hero

by Lucky107



Series: Strange Blood [6]
Category: Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Genre: Blind Character, Companion Spoilers, Enemies to Friends, Gen, mutual understanding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-12
Updated: 2016-12-12
Packaged: 2018-09-08 04:35:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 799
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8830609
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lucky107/pseuds/Lucky107
Summary: She's been tripping on the bodies of fallen Silver-Hand since entering the Wind District and she still hasn't gotten a proper response on why.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Mo Ghile Mear - Celtic Thunder - 2011

"I hope your business was important," Vilkas greets coldly as Elara stumbles in the front door.  She's been tripping on the bodies of fallen Silver-Hand since entering the Wind District and she still hasn't gotten a proper response on why.  "You should have been _here_ , with _us_."

"Hold your tongue, brute," Elara bites back.  Her hand, extended back to hover over the hilt of her battle-axe, quivers as she speaks.  "Have you any idea what I was sent to do?  The head of a Glenmoril—"

"Enough!"

Ria arrives in a hurry to defuse the conflict.  Extending her arms, she stands between the pair and provides some much-needed breathing room.  As a mutual acquaintance of both parties, she's successful in diverting their attention.

"There's no time to be fighting among ourselves," she explains, hasty and short of breath.  "You both know this isn't what Kodlak would have wanted - from either of you.  We need to keep our wits about us if we're going to pick up the pieces and move forward.  Do you hear me?"

Vilkas is the first to break, allowing his eyes to wander from Ria's intense stare.

He's seeing red.  Trying to balance his pride as a warrior with the powerless feeling of allowing the Silver-Hand to pillage Jorrvaskr the way they have isn't easy.  Everything they fought so hard to gain, to protect, has been taken away from right under their noses and Elara—

But Elara _isn't_ at fault here - though her hands aren't completely clean, either - and as hard as it is to remain professional right now, it's too easy to fall apart.  There are just too many missing pieces to the story right now and the only way to to know for certain what happened today is to sit down and work things out together.  But this is neither the time, nor the place for it and Ria is not the right company.

"You're right," Vilkas confesses.  "It was a shameful way to act in light of everything that has happened.  But they've taken our pieces of Wuuthrad and it would be a crime to hold a ceremony for the old man until we return them to their rightful place, here at Jorrvaskr."

Ria, sensing the situation has taken a more civil turn, returns to Athis' aid.

Inappropriately calm given the chaos unfolding around her, Elara rolls her shoulders to ease some of the built-up tension now that the air is clear.  Vilkas is not blind to her disconnect and roughly, he takes her by the hand.  "You will be my shield-sister in retrieving the missing fragments."

"Me?"  Elara scoffs.  "Do you even know where they've been taken?"

Her Nordic companion is strong, intimidating, and he doesn't release her from his daunting grasp until they are outside of the Wind District.  Never once do they stop pushing forward.  "Driftshade Refuge.  Aela must have found it during one of your secret operations - something the rest of the Circle may have benefitted from knowing about sooner."

Ah.

So it _was_ their snooping that got Kodlak killed...

Elara must move quickly to match Vilkas' pace; he's angry - of course he's angry, everyone is angry - but now is not the time to be bickering about the could haves and should haves.  Kodlak is dead.  That's the only truth they have going forward.  "Aela harbors a lot of unresolved feelings since what happened to Skjor.  It was—"

"Foolish," Vilkas finishes shortly.  "You must not mistake years for wisdom, whelp."

But it's no secret that Aela and Elara carry a unique guilt, having been the only ones present at the time of Skjor's demise, and so they wield a unique responsibility to see justice done, as well.

"I'm aware of that now," Elara agrees, though her defenses are slipping.  It's more imperative now than ever that they work together, not look for excuses to pull apart.  "You must understand that, had I been present at Jorrvaskr today, the results would have been the same."

Vilkas bites his tongue before he can remark.

For weeks Kodlak was speaking of the mists of Sovngarde that plagued his dreams... so had it not been the Silver-Hand today, it would have been something else tomorrow.  When a man of his age and wisdom engages in his final act, he tends to know it.  And Kodlak did.

"He confided in me that he does not wish to hunt with Hircine for an eternity," Elara explains.  "I made him a promise that he would return to Sovngarde."

That's why Elara had been at Glenmoril Coven this afternoon, instead of at Jorrvaskr.

Vilkas was convinced that she had run off on another hunt for Silver-Hand at Aela's behest, but it was the old man's final wish: a cure from their curse.

"Aye," Vilkas agrees.  "And he will."


End file.
